Introduced last year as part of a heavy refresh, the Ford Explorer’s top-of-the-line, $54,180 Platinum trim is a push-button gear selector and a few pieces of bodywork away from passing for a Lincoln. Although exterior differences between the Platinum and lesser Explorers are few—consisting of details such as an egg-crate grille, chrome mirror caps, and 15-spoke wheels—the flagship Explorer’s passenger compartment separates itself from the herd with high-brow fittings such as a 10-inch digital gauge cluster, quilted leather seats, a leather-wrapped dashboard, and real wood and aluminum accents on the dash, doors, and steering wheel.

Hustle Hard

A linebacker with the speed of a running back, the 4980-pound Platinum is both the heftiest and quickest Explorer to go through our testing regimen since the model adopted unibody construction for the current generation that debuted for 2011. Credit the Platinum’s twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine that it shares with the more aggressively styled Explorer Sport. Packing 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque, the engine delivers smooth and linear muscle through a six-speed automatic transmission that includes a pair of steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. All-wheel drive is standard. Unlike the Sport, which can be optioned with a set of 20-inch Continental summer tires for $995, the luxury-themed Platinum’s 20-inch wheels are wrapped in all-season Hankook tires.

In spite of a 41-pound weight disadvantage, though, our Platinum test car managed to better or equal the acceleration times we recorded in a 2016 Sport fitted with the summer rubber. The zero-to-60-mph run takes a brisk 5.8 seconds, the century mark is reached in 15.2 seconds, and the quarter-mile is crossed after 14.4 seconds at 98 mph, besting the Sport by 0.2 second, 0.6 second, and 0.2 second and 2 mph. The only acceleration test in which the Platinum wasn’t quicker was from 50 to 70 mph: both twin-turbo Explorers did it in 4.4 seconds. Similarly, the Platinum matched the Sport in clawing its way around our 300-foot skidpad at a respectable 0.83 g. The Sport’s summer tires proved advantageous only in our braking test—stopping this Platinum from 70 mph required 174 feet, 8 feet longer than the Sport on its stickier Continentals.

Cabin Fever

While the Platinum’s interior is filled with premium materials, build quality is less than stellar. Our test car’s door panels were misaligned with the dashboard, the leather of which showed signs of wear at the seams before the odometer reached 2500 miles. On the plus side, the addition of Sync 3 to 2017 Explorers is a boon to ergonomics. Menus within the central touchscreen are logically arranged, and touch inputs never needed a second or third tap of the screen to confirm a request. The Platinum also comes standard with features such as a dual-panel sunroof, adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot warning system, lane-keeping assist, a front-mounted camera, and an automatic parking system that can steer the Explorer into an open spot.

Despite providing more legroom in all three rows than the 2.9-inch-longer Dodge Durango, as well as an additional four cubic feet of cargo space behind its rearmost row, the Explorer’s interior can feel cramped. Exceptionally wide side sills make entering the cabin somewhat awkward. Once inside, the Explorer’s broad dashboard and a seating position that’s slightly offset toward the center make this mid-size crossover feel especially big and ungainly to navigate. Adding salt to the Explorer’s packaging wound is a front wheel well that invades the space for the driver’s left foot more than in most modern vehicles, rendering the small dead pedal all but useless to those with big feet or even average-size feet clad in boots. While our test car’s optional ($695) second-row bucket seats were comfortable, they lacked integrated armrests, resulting in arms hanging listlessly when the ($150) second-row center console was open and in use. Choosing the buckets also deletes one seating position, reducing our test car’s capacity from seven to six passengers. Meanwhile, the Explorer’s cushy, power-folding third-row seats offer a meager 40.7 inches of hiproom, 3.9 inches less than the Honda Pilot’s despite the vehicles’ virtually identical overall widths.

Everyman Brand

With a base price north of $50,000, the Explorer Platinum blurs the line between premium mid-size crossover SUVs and mainstream models. Compared with an Acura MDX or an Infiniti QX60 with equipment levels similar to that of our $55,025 Blue Jeans Metallic test car, the Platinum costs $2315 less than the MDX and $2870 less than the QX60. Both the Acura and the Infiniti provide somewhat more prestigious brand names; however, neither vehicle’s V-6 engine produces anywhere near the power of the Ford’s twin-turbocharged beast.

Those seeking power might also want to look at the Dodge Durango equipped with the 360-hp 5.7-liter V-8 engine. Even heavier than the Explorer Platinum (a 2016 Durango R/T registered 5369 pounds on our scales), the eight-cylinder Durango is objectively less capable than the Platinum, with lazier acceleration figures, a longer braking distance, and less lateral grip. Nevertheless, the eight-pot Dodge is more fun to pilot and is rated to tow up to 7400 pounds when properly equipped, 2400 more than the Explorer Platinum. The Dodge’s fuel-economy rating of 14 mpg city and 22 mpg highway falls behind the Platinum’s 16/22 rating; we averaged 17 mpg during our time with the Ford and recorded 20 mpg on our 200-mile, 75-mph highway-fuel-economy test. Based on that 20-mpg figure, the Explorer can travel roughly 370 miles on a tank, which is far less than many of its peers.

Regardless of which vehicles you most consider to be its competition, the 2017 Ford Explorer Platinum’s high-end materials, array of features, and strong engine allow it to stack up fairly well. Even so, consumers may be better off opting for the $7880 less expensive, but equally powerful, Explorer Sport. Based on our testing data, though, we can’t recommend the optional summer tires on that Explorer.

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